Medieval Literature - Genre And Literary Terms

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CHIVALRIC ROMANCE

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A genre that speaks of love, adventure, knightly conflict, and pageantry

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MYTH

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A retelling of a classical myth

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BRETON LAIS

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Celtic in origin, sometimes set in Brittany France and speak of magic, fairies, folklore, & courtly love

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FABLE

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Short tale that contains animal characters with human qualities and teaches a lesson

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PROSE ALLEGORY

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Non-poetic tale in which people and things represent abstract qualities or ideas

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MOCK-HEROIC

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Ridicules, by imitation, stories of chivalry and heroism

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MOCK-ROMANCE

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Ridicules the Chivalric romance by parody

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FABLIAU

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Stories based on clever tricks of infidelity

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SERMON

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An speech preaching a Christian message

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EXEMPLUM

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A sermon that illustrates a known moral lesson

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SAINT'S LEGEND

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Tales of inspirational acts or martyrdom

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MIRACLE OF THE VIRGIN

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Tales in which the Virgin Mary miraculously aids a follower in time of need

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MORAL TALE

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Tales to inspire moral conduct in the listener

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FRAME STORY (FRAMING)

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An author's structure of placing a story within another story

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LETTERS

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First-person, personal accounts of real events, feelings, and thoughts of the author; usually include dates, salutations and signatures

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BALLAD (FOLK BALLAD)

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Narrative poems, originally intended to be sung; include brief incidents, repetition, 4-line stanzas (quatrains), dialogue, and dialect; "Folk" indicates anonymous authors and oral tradition

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AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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First-person account of a writer's life; reveal writer's attitudes, motivations, and values (NOTE: Margery Kempe's is NOT in typical first-person)

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MEDIEVAL ROMANCE

(see also CHIVALRIC ROMANCE)

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Contain noble heroes, gallant love, a chivalric code of honor, and daring deeds; often include faraway settings, fantasy, and lighthearted tone

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ARTHURIAN LEGEND

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Stories of a king of England who probably lived during the 5th century

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MEDIEVAL SYMBOLISM: GREEN

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Life, nature, safety, renewal, immortality, and hope

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MEDIEVAL SYMBOLISM: RED

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Blood, courage, love, sacrifice

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MEDIEVAL SYMBOLISM: GOLD

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Wealth, value, success

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MEDIEVAL SYMBOLISM: WHITE

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Purity, goodness, virtue

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MEDIEVAL SYMBOLISM: PENTAGRAM

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5 sets of 5: 5 wounds of Christ, 5 joys of Mary, 5 human senses, 5 fingers of knight (Gawain), 5 virtues--compassion, courtesy, generosity, love, purity

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SATIRE

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The act of ridiculing vices (flaws) and follies (foolish behavior); when an author makes fun of someone or something in society to point out the flaws of society.

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CHARACTERIZATION

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The method a writer uses to present the personality of a character. An author may use direct characterization, (telling the reader exactly what a character is like) or indirect characterization (allowing the reader to make inferences and judgments based on information provided)

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PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION

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The description the author portrays of a character's physical appearance

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SOCIAL CHARACTERIZATION

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The description the author portrays of a character's interaction with other characters (this may included actions and accomplishments)

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PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION

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The description the author portrays of a character's thoughts and feelings

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MOCKERY

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To make someone the subject of laughter, scorn or ridicule

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PARODY

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Mocking imitation of a known person, literary work, movie, or event

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MOCK-HEROIC

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Imitation of the heroic epic style by exaggeration

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SARCASM

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Using praise to personally mock someone (see Verbal Irony)

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VERBAL IRONY

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To say one thing but mean the opposite or something else (sarcasm is a type of Verbal Irony)

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UNDERSTATEMENT

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Implying the opposite by saying less than you mean to say

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OVERSTATEMENT

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Implying the opposite by saying more than you mean to say

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BATHOS

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Going quickly from the sublime or serious to the ridiculous